therapeutic
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
-
of or relating to the treatment of disease; curative
-
serving or performed to maintain health
therapeutic abortion
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of therapeutic
1535–45; < New Latin therapeuticus < Greek therapeutikós, equivalent to therapeú ( ein ) to attend, treat medically (akin to therápōn attendant) + -tikos -tic
Explanation
Whether you’re talking about a therapeutic drug or a therapeutic exercise plan, something that is therapeutic helps to heal or to restore health. The adjective therapeutic can be traced all the way back to the Greek word therapeutikos (from therapeuein, meaning “to attend” or “to treat”). Although the word relates to healing or soothing, therapeutic isn’t reserved only for drugs or medical treatments. You’ve probably heard particular activities referred to as therapeutic, which just means that doing that activity makes you feel rejuvenated. You might consider shopping for shoes, for example, to be a therapeutic activity — at least until the credit card bill arrives.
Vocabulary lists containing therapeutic
This Week in Words: March 3 – 9, 2018
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National Nurses Week: Common Medical Terms
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Vocabulary from Academy Award Nominees and Winners
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
AbbVie’s “quarter was highlighted by robust performance from Skyrizi and Rinvoq as well as most of the company’s key drivers, including Botox Cosmetic, Botox Therapeutic, Ubrelvy, Vraylar, and Venclexta,” Guggenheim wrote.
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center is a community where horses transform the bodies, minds and spirits of people with disabilities.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 26, 2024
The National Assn. of Therapeutic Schools and Programs, the country’s largest member organization, supported the Utah bill.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2024
Overall, White people account for 60 percent of the U.S. population but more than 70 percent of clinical trial participants, according to a study published in the journal Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science.
From Salon • Feb. 3, 2024
Therapeutic abortion, done with all the safeguards of modern surgical practice, is associated with very little acute sepsis.
From Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Various Aspects of the Problem of Abortion in New Zealand by McMillan, D. G. (David Gervan)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
